


Of Comfort and Joy

by pinkevilbob



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, F/M, Warning: Trent Ikithon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21932656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkevilbob/pseuds/pinkevilbob
Summary: It's Christmas Even and Jester finds herself snowed in at the airport, but fortunately there's a cute cat with a cuter owner nearby.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 16
Kudos: 132





	Of Comfort and Joy

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas!!

Tears welled up in Jester's eyes, but she willed them to stay there. All that crying would do was ruin her makeup. But, it was hard not to cry in the snowed-in airport on Christmas Eve. Jester was supposed to be on the airplane 5 hours ago, but the snow storm continued on and the snow grew higher and higher.

Jester knew she was tempting fate by waiting so long to fly home, but she had a super important art show that she was part of and she couldn't leave until after the opening of it on Christmas Eve. So now she sat in the airport hugging her backpack trying her best not to cry.

A small sound interrupted her thoughts. Jester looked up to see two rows of seats away from her sat a cat. A handsome little cat wearing a little coat. She gasped. It was the cutest thing she'd seen all week. Without thinking, she put on her backpack and went straight to the cat.

The cat sat like a little statue on the lap of a man reading. Coppery auburn hair hung over the man's face as he read obscuring his features. Closer up, Jester could tell that the cat was a bengal and even cuter than Jester could imagine in a little purple coat. "Can I pet them?" Jester asked.

"I'm sorry but," the man looked up and paused. "Ja, you can pet him."

Jester grinned as she scratched the cat behind his ears. "What’s his name?”

“Frumpkin,” the man said softly.

“Hi Frumpkin! I’m Jester.” She looked up grinning at Frumpkin’s owner. “And what’s your name?”

He stared at her with bright blue eyes and blushed a little. “Caleb. I’m Caleb Widogast.”

“It’s nice to meet you Caleb Widogast. Are you waiting for your flight too?” Jester asked.

Caleb nodded. “Ja.”

Jester looks out the window at all the snow whirling in the dark. “We probably shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. It’s just a little snow.” But, she knew that was a lie even as she said it.

“Ja,” Caleb agreed quietly. “It shouldn’t be too long.”

“I bet you and Furmpkin are excited to be going home,” Jester said.

Caleb shook his head. “Nein. We’re going to a … important meeting.”

Jester gasped. “And you have to travel on Christmas Eve for it?”

“I celebrated Christmas early this year,” Caleb said. “This was the only day I could leave for it.”

“That sucks. At least you still got to do Christmas. If this snow doesn’t stop, I’m going to miss it completely.” Jester had to fight the urge to pout at the snow. Frumpkin headbutted her hand purring hard. She giggled and scratched his chin.

Caleb watched carefully. “Well, I don’t think that’s likely. It can only snow for so long. I’m sure-”

The sound of the intercom interrupted him. “Attention passengers of Flight 7769, we regret to inform you that your flight has been cancelled until further notice.”

Caleb swore softly while Jester stared up at the intercom the tears she had been fighting streaming down her face. “Is that your flight too?”

“Y-yeah,” Jester said her voice cracking. “They can’t just cancel it. I have to go home and see my mom for Christmas. I can’t stay here.”

With a frown on his face, Caleb stared at her, nodded, and then stood. “Ja, let’s go to the information booth. Maybe there’s a different flight you can take. I’ll need you to hold Frumpkin.”

Sniffling, Jester nodded rubbing away her tears. “But my backpack.”

“I can carry it.” Caleb picked it up with a little bit of trouble and set it on top of his wheeled suitcase. “Let’s go.” He led the way with Jester having to walk quickly to keep up with him. There was a sharp determination to him that Jester couldn’t help but admire. Once they got in line, Caleb sagged a little, but he kept his eyes forward.

“Thanks, Caleb,” Jester said softly still sniffling.

Caleb looked over at her. “It’s no bother. Do you have a connecting flight?”

Jester shook her head. “No, I’m going straight home.”

“Just me then,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry. The airport deals with this sort of thing all the time and they’ll take care of everything before you know it.”

“I know,” Jester mumbled, but the urge to cry again squeezed her chest. She adjusted her grip on Frumpkin.

Caleb gave her a sad, soft smile. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“You are?” Jester asked.

“Ja, otherwise Frumpkin would be worried sick right now,” Claeb said. “You’re good at keeping him distracted.”

The small cat meowed in her arms. She grinned down at Frumpkin. “I’m glad you’re both here too.”

The line moved forward and they got a couple of steps closer to the front. “Do you have your ticket out?” Caleb asked.

“Oh, right.” Jester shifted Frumpkin to one arm and dug her ticket out of her purse. “Here!”

Caleb looked over at it. “Oh, your seat is next to mine.”

Jester smiled weakly at him. “Maybe we’ll be next to each other on our next flight.”

“Maybe. They’re probably arranging that flight already.”

“Yeah,” Jester said. It was getting hard to keep her hopes up though. She was getting close to being discouraged.

Next it was their turn. “Can I see your passes?” the red head behind the desk asked.

“Oh ja,” Caleb said handing her both his and Jester’s.

“Thank you,” the clerk said with a smile, but it quickly faded. “Oh this flight has been canceled.”

Jester’s heart fell. “When’s the next flight?”

“It won’t be until some of the snow melts, so tomorrow morning at the very earliest,” the clerk said.

Tears split down Jester’s face. “But, but I told my mom I’d be there tonight.”

Caleb took a step forward. “And I have a connecting flight.”

“Once you arrive at your destination, a new flight will be arranged for you.”

“So, we have to spend christmas eve waiting in the airport?” Jester was sobbing now. This was supposed to be a short layover, that was all.

Caleb scratched Frumpkin’s chin quickly. “Hold him steady.” He turned back to the clerk. “I know that this must be hard for you to handle on the holidays, but is there anything you can do for us?”

“I can give you a voucher for the closest hotel. They should still have openings,” the clerk said. She printed out a slip of paper and handed to Caleb. “It’s in walking distance, but with this weather, I think you might be better off taking the shuttle we’ve arranged for passengers.”

“Danke,” Caleb said gratefully. “And is there anyway we can get our luggage?”

The clerk frowned. “I’m sorry, in this case that’s not an option. Maybe in the morning?”

Caleb’s face turned dark for a moment, but then he nodded. “Ja, okay. We’ll try again in the morning.

Jester nodded and followed him as he left the information desk. Sloppy tears were still slipping down her face, but she focused on keeping Frumpkin safe. “Thank you. Sorry I’m acting so dumb.”

“Being alone on the holidays is a hard thing,” Caleb said.

“But you’re alone too,” Jester said hurrying to keep up with his long legs.

Caleb shook his head. “I’m not alone, I got Frumpkin. Besides, I have a lot of practice being alone.”

Jester looked up at him. “How come?”

“I … have had to work a lot on the holidays. Couldn’t go home to visit for the holidays,” Caleb said.

“That sucks,” Jester said. “But at least you have Frumpkin now.”

Caleb nodded and stopped. Jester almost walked into him. “Jester, can you keep an eye on Frumpkin and my things for me? I need to use the water closet.”

“Water closet?” Then Jester realized what he meant and giggled. “Oh, you mean need to pee.”

His face reddened. “Ja, I do. Could you watch them for me?”

Jester nodded pleased that he trusted her that much already. “Sure!”

“Danke,” he said softly before hurrying off.

Jester sat down on a bench petting Frumpkin. “Thanks for keeping me company,” she whispered to her cat. “Mom’s going to be heart broken when she finds out I won’t be coming home tonight.” She was almost tempted to not text her mom the bad news, but Jester didn’t want her mom to stay up waiting for her. As quickly as possible, Jester typed up the message and sent it.

After what felt like forever, Caleb returned. “Sorry that took so long.”

“Were you all constipated, Caleb? You should think about eating more fiber,” Jester said.

Caleb’s face turned bright red. “It’s not like, I mean, oh, let’s go. I heard the shuttle will be leaving soon.”

The shuttle was easy to find outside the airport. Jester and Calleb were among the last passengers to climb aboard, but the bus was only half way full. Caleb sat down next to Jester. “Can I have Frumpkin back?” Caleb asked.

“Oh right,” Jester said passing Caleb Frumpkin. “Thanks for letting me hold him.”

“Danke, I need him for vehicles. And it wasn’t a problem. He likes being held by pretty ladies,” Caleb said.

Now it was Jester’s turn to blush. “Thanks. Frumpkin has very good taste.”

Caleb chuckled. “Ja, he does. Can you let me know when we get to the hotel?”

“Sure,” Jester said. “You going to try to catch a nap?”

“Kinda.” He screwed his eyes tightly as the bus began to move and breathed heavily through his nose.

Jester frowned watching him. “Caleb? Are you okay?”

“Ja,” he said incredibly stilted. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound okay,” Jester said. “Are you afraid of cars?”

Caleb clenched his teeth. “Most moving vehicles actually. Which includes cars.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Jester said. “The lady at the desk said that the hotel was in walking distance. We could get off and walk there.”

“In your boots? You’d twist an ankle,” Caleb said. He patted Frumpkin. “I’ll manage. This is why I have Frumpkin.”

Jester stared at the cat who purred loudly. “He lets you ride in vehicles?”

Caleb nodded. He was nearly doubled over in his seat. “He’s my emotional support animal. He’s comforting.”

Jester gasped. “And I took him away from you at the airport! I’m so sorry.”

“Nein, it’s alright, you needed him more than I did. I mainly need him for cars and other moving vehicles,” Caleb said.

“Like airplanes?”

Caleb smiled bitterly. “Exactly.”

Jester looked out the shuttle windows. It had to move slowly because of the snow. “It probably won’t be much longer. Should I be quiet or do you need me to keep talking?”

“Talking is a welcomed distraction,” Caleb said. “Tell me about,” he paused. “What do you want to tell me about?”

Jester gave it some thought. “So, my mom is super pretty and famous and basically the best, so it’s always SUPER hard to find her a christmas present. That’s why I always make her something. I used to always paint her something every year, but that’s like too obvious even though I am super good at painting and she loves every single one of them.”

“Then what did you make her?” Caleb asked breathing heavily.

“Okay, you’re going to have to see this.” Jester pulled out her backpack and opened it up. “Oh wait, maybe I should wait to show this to you.”

Caleb shook his head. “No, I want to see it.”

Jester grinned and pulled out a plush little woman. It was supposed to look like her mom, but it was a little lumpy and asymmetrical. Her mom was going to love it though since it was the first stuffed animal Jester ever made. Her first foray into a new medium, her mom would say. “It’s my mom! She’s prettier than this though. You should see her. My mom is the prettiest person ever.”

“You must love her dearly,” Caleb said. He briefly looked up at the doll and then went back to keeping his eyes closed.

“Yeah, I do. She raised me all on her own and works super hard, so I know that it was hard sometimes, but she always had time for me and loved me a ton,” Jester said. “So I had to make her something special.”

Caleb pulled a small face. “It certainly is special. I think she’ll love it.”

Jester grinned again putting the plush back in her bag. “Oh, we’re pulling to a stop, no wait it’s just a stop sign.”

“Danke for the warning,” Caleb said. “What was the best gift you ever gave your mother?”

Jester tapped her chin. “Hmm, probably when I made her a necklace out of macaroni and clay.”

Caleb smiled slightly. “Was this when you were a little girl?”

“Nah, it was two years ago. I think I still have pictures of it on my phone.” Jester grabbed her phone out of her pocket and flicked through her pictures. “She still wears it.” She shoved the phone under his face. “See?”

“She is beautiful,” Caleb whispered briefly looking at her phone. “You’ve clearly inherited her good looks.”

Jester could feel her face turning red. “Thanks.” The shuttle finally slowed to a stop in front of the hotel. “Oh, Caleb, we’re here!”

Caleb looked up and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.”

“Was I really such terrible company?” Jester teased.

“What? No. I’m just glad to stop moving.” He scratched Frumpkin under his chin. “I think Frumpkin is too.”

Jester smiled a little and stood up. “Well, everyone’s getting off.”

“Okay, I just need a moment.” Caleb closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths. The rest of the shuttle emptied as Caleb gathered himself. Frumpkin rumbled a low loud purr. “Danke, Frumpkin,” Caleb said softly. He opened his eyes and stared at Jester. “You waited for me?”

“Yeah, I mean why wouldn’t I? Oh, unless you wanted to be alone. Sorry.”

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, it’s fine. I just thought that you’d go ahead without me.”

Jester frowned. “I thought we were getting through this together.”

“Right together.” He stood up. “Let’s go then.”

It was a long line in the lobby of the hotel, they were at the very end of it, and it was getting late. “Do you want to hold Frumpkin?” Caleb asked.

Jester shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine.” She yawned loudly. “Sorry, just tired.”

“Ja, me too.” Frumpkin was already asleep in his arms.

They stood together in line in a tired stupor with Jester continually nodding off and then jerking up. Finally it was their turn. Caleb handed the clerk the voucher. “Alright, last one we got is a two bedder. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

“What? No, we’re not together,” Caleb said hurriedly. “We’ve only met an hour ago. We need two seperate rooms.”

The clerk blanched. “Oh, this is the only room we got left. Do you think you can share?”

Caleb glanced at Jester. “I don’t mind sharing,” she said with a shrug.

“Oh, we’ll take it then since we don’t have a choice.”

“Thanks,” the clerk said looking greatly relieved. They handed Caleb the key. “You’re on the second room. Non-smoking. Last room of the right.”

Caleb took the key. “Danke.”

Jester grabbed her backpack and Caleb’s suitcase carrying them up the stairs. Caleb read out loud softly the number of each room until they reached theirs. He opened the door. It was nowhere near as fancy as the Lavish Chateau, where Jester’s mother lived, but there were two beds and Jester was grateful to flop down on the closest one.

“The airline will be calling us in the morning when the flight’s rescheduled,” Caleb said. “Do you have a prefered wake up time?”

Jester shook her head. “You’re not supposed to set an alarm on Christmas, Caleb.”

“Ja?” he asked as he took off his shoes.

“Yeah. You’re supposed to sleep in super late, open one present, and then eat pancakes,” Jester said.

Caleb smiled as Frumpkin explored the room sniffing the chairs and curtains. “Ah. That’s good to know.” He pulled out a pair of stiff, striped pajamas.

Jester kicked off her shoes. She didn’t have any clothes in her backpack, so she was going to have to just sleep in the clothes she had on. “Do you have any Christmas traditions?”

“Not really.” He stood up and then paused. “Well, actually, when I was little, my parents would hide my present and I would have to find by doing little things around the house. To please the christmas cats.”

“Christmas cats?” Jester asked.

Caleb nodded. “I loved cats, so I thought that they helped Santa with delivering the presents.”

Jester giggled. “That’s adorable.”

His cheeks burned red. “Danke. I was a bit of an odd child, I must confess, but my parents never complained.”

“Are you going to see them today? I mean after your important meeting?” Jester asked.

Caleb shook his head. “That’s not really an option for me. I’ll just have to send them my best wishes.”

“I’ll need to call my mom when I wake up,” Jester said. “Oh, when I do, do you want to say hi to her?”

“Sure?” Caleb sounded a bit confused.

Jester drooped a little. “It’s just that you helped me a lot and I thought she’d like to thank you.”

Caleb stood up a bit straighter. “I’d love to talk to her then, but you don’t need to thank me, not really. You helped me too.”

“Then I guess we’ll thank each other then.”

“Ja. I’m going to change in the water closet,” Caleb said. “Can you keep an eye on Frumpkin?”

Jester nodded. “Aye aye!”

Caleb smiled and then left to change.

Jester curled up under her covers. She was tired, but she wasn’t excited to be sleeping in a strange room when she should be back home with her mom. It was nice to have someone with her even if she’d just met Caleb a couple of hours earlier. “Frumpkin? Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”

The cat merowed loudly and hopped onto Caleb’s bed.

“Oh, you’re no fun Frumpkin,” Jester groused. “I’ll just have to sleep over here all by myself.” She sulked in her bed, but her thoughts were interrupted by a voice from the bathroom. It was Caleb, but he was speaking in a language that Jester didn’t quite recognize. He spoke quickly and sounded more than a little bit frustrated. Finally he said something that sounded final and opened the door. “What was that?” Jester asked.

“You could hear me?” Caleb asked awkwardly. He looked cute in his pajamas in a nerdy sort of way. His hair was no longer in a half ponytail and hung down to his shoulders.

Jester nodded. “I couldn’t understand any of it though. What language was that?”

Caleb pulled back the blankets on his bed. “Zemnian. I may be late for the first of my meetings, and that’s not something I would look forward too.”

“What meeting is so important that you’d fly on Christmas Eve and Christmas for it? Especially since you don’t do well on vehicles?” Jester asked.

“Planes aren’t as bad as cars,” Caleb said. “And it’s complicated. But if this goes well, I think I’ll be able to do something good.”

Jester grinned. “That’s really cool Caleb.”

He looked away. “We should go to bed. We’ll need our sleep.”

“Right,” Jester said snuggling into her bed as Caleb turned off the lights. “Goodnight Caleb.”

A pause. “Goodnight Jester.”

* * *

There was a strange sound that woke up Jester and it took her a moment to remember that she was in a hotel room. In the next bed over was the sound of struggling and panicked Zemnian. Jester turned on the flashlight on her cellphone and crept over to Caleb’s bed.

“Caleb?” she called softly. He was tossing and turning in his bed mumbling. “Caleb, I think you’re having a nightmare. “ Jester put her hand softly on his shoulder.

Caleb flailed, swatting her away. “Nein!” he shouted before cowering protecting his head.

Jester took a step back startled. “Caleb, it’s just me, Jester. I won’t hurt you.”

The only answer she got was panicked Zemnian.

“Caleb,” she said gently. “It’s just Jester. Can I get closer to you?”

His eyes were wide open and filled with a fear Jester had never seen so strongly before. Slowly he nodded.

“Thank you, Caleb.” Jester sat on the edge of his bed and gave him a quiet smile. “Was it a nightmare?”

“Ja,” Caleb said thickly. He was shaking and struggling to breathe steadily. Frumpkin delicately stepped onto his lap and settled down purring.

Jester nodded. “Must’ve been a bad one. When I have nightmares, I talk to my mom about them and then I fear better. Do you want to talk to me about yours?”

Caleb sat there in silence for an incredibly long moment. “My meeting’s actually a court date. I’m a witness for my old teacher’s trial. Well, he was more a mentor to me.”

“And you want to make sure he walks free,” Jester said.

“Nein!” he shouted forcefully, but there was still a shake to his voice. Caleb huddled up around Frumpkin. “He’s done terrible things and I need to help make sure that he’s somewhere where he can’t hurt people.” He sniffled and sunk down low. “My parents are dead because of him and I was the weapon.” A strangled sob made its way out of his chest.

Without thinking, Jester wrapped Caleb in a hug. “Oh, Caleb.”

“There was something wrong with my car, but I didn’t think anything of it. I was driving my parents home and the brakes wouldn’t work. The brakes were cut and I killed my parents.” Caleb shuddered in Jester’s grasp.

“No, you didn’t. It doesn’t work like that Caleb,” Jester said rubbing his back. “You had no way of knowing. You couldn’t have.”

Caleb cried wordlessly. “I should’ve checked. I always checked. Why didn’t I check?”

Jester adjusted so she was more securely on his bed and he could lean on her. “I don’t know. But I think we’ve all made mistakes that make us feel stupid. I have.”

“What did you do?” Caleb asked.

Jester’s face went red. “It’s going to sound stupid.”

He looked at her his eyes rimmed with red. “I’ve been crying on a complete stranger like a child. It’s hard to feel stupider than this.”

“I’m not a complete stranger,” Jester huffed. “Fine, okay, I’ll tell you, but you’re not allowed to laugh.”

“Why would I?”

She nodded and gathered her nerve. “Right, so, I was kinda homeschooled when I was little and didn’t leave home much. And then I left home all at once and I met this super handsome guy who was nice and stuff to me.” Jester paused to let Caleb groan or tease her about where her story was going. “He was super cool and I thought ‘wow, this must be my first true love’, but he didn’t see me that way. So I kept flirting with him and try to get with him, but he wasn’t interested. But I thought that meant I need to do something really big to catch his eye.” For this part Jester had to look away from Caleb. “So, I filled his car with balloons and covered it with oreos. Then I took toothpaste and wrote on his car ‘Will you go out with me?’. Should’ve been a surefire way to get a boyfriend.”

“I’d say yes to that,” Caleb said softly.

Jester smiled, shaking her head. He was just saying that to be nice. “Anyways, I was with Fjord when he saw his car and he just turned to me and said ‘I thought you knew I only wanted to be friends’. It took him like two weeks to clean everything off his car. All I did was embarrass him. I was so stupid to think he liked me.”

“Why? You’re a very likable person and I think anyone with sense would realize how lucky they are to be liked by someone like you,” Caleb said.

“You’re just saying that,” Jester said.

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, you are clearly a wonderful woman. You’re creative with a good sense of humor and you’re very kind.” Frumpkin mewed from his lap. “Oh and you like cats and they like you, so obviously anyone who rejects your interest is a fool.”

Jester laughed. “Thanks, Caleb.”

“I should be the one thanking you Jester,” Caleb said. “You’re more patient than I deserve.” He was still reclined in her arms.

“I should probably let you go back to sleep,” Jester said loosening her grip.

He grabbed her sleeve. “Don’t. I mean,” his voice became unbelievably small, “stay?”

Jester grinned. “Sure.”

* * *

“CALEB YOUR PHONE IS RINGING!!!” A shrill voice screamed. Jester startled upwards and nearly fell over. Caleb was still clinging to her side and mumbled what Jester assumed was Zemnian swear words as he fumbled about the bedside table grabbing his phone.

“Halo?” he said not even opening his eyes. Caleb nodded his head and looked incredibly relieved. “Thank you. We’ll pick them up as soon as we get to the airport.” He hung up the phone. “Our flight will be in 4 hours and 24 minutes. They’ll have the tickets waiting for us.”

Jester bounced on the bed. “Finally! I mean I enjoyed spending time with you Caleb, but I’m glad to be going home.”

Caleb sleepily nodded his head and finally opened his eyes. His face turned bright red as he seemed to realize the position they were in and quickly moved away from Jester. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine,” Jester said, “you just needed extra comfort last night. I’m glad that I was here for you.”

“Danke,” Caleb mumbled face still red. He ducked his head down and then snapped it up. “Oh, I just remembered.” Caleb scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over his own two feet, and reached into the pocket of his coat which was hanging on the chair. “Close your eyes and hold out your hand.”

Jester obeyed him with a bit of confusion. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise,” he said. Something small and soft was placed in her hand. “You can open them now.”

She opened her eyes and gasped. In her hand sat a small plush cat. Its fur was blue and sparkly. Jester looked up at Caleb not sure what to say.

“Merry Christmas. You sounded so sad yesterday when you said you were going to miss Christmas, I wanted to give you a little something to make it still feel like the holiday,” Caleb said awkwardly staring at the ground.

Jester kept staring at the cat. “Caleb,” she whispered softly.

Caleb scratched his arms. “I probably shouldn’t have. I’m sorry if I made things awkward.”

“No! I love it!” Jester said.

“You do? It’s nothing special. Just what I could find for a few bucks while you thought I was in the bathroom,” Caleb said. “But I wanted to give you something.”

Jester grinned. “It’s perfect! He’s a Christmas Cat like when you were little. I love him. But I didn’t get you anything.”

Caleb shook his head. “You don’t have to. Just meeting you was enough for me.”

“You smooth talker. You must say that to all the ladies,” Jester teased.

“Nein, I mean it. I’m glad that I got to meet you, even if it’s just for today,” Caleb said.

Jester smiled at him. “Yeah, me too. But at least we’ll be on the plane together.”

“Ja, and then it’s goodbye,” Caleb said.

Jester pouted. “Yeah. But I can give you myself phone number. This is basically why texting exists and we can talk all the time.”

Caleb smiled softly. “Ja, I’d like that.”

“And who knows maybe we’ll be on the same plane when we go home,” Jester said.

Caleb frowned. “I don’t know when I’m going back. The trial may last a long while.”

The sentence stabbed like a pang in her chest. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye and never see Caleb again even if she still had a few more hours with him and Frumpkin. “Oh. That sucks.”

“Ja, it does,” Caleb said. “But I’ll text you.”

“And I’ll text you all the time and take plenty of pictures of Nicodranas and Zadash.” Jester grinned at him, but her heart wasn’t in it.

Caleb stared at her. “Zadash?”

“Yeah! That’s my new home. I know I said I’m going home since you know my mom’s is my home home, but I now live in Zadash,” Jester said.

“I live in Zadash too.”

Jester gasped. “For real?”

Caleb nodded with a hint of smile. “Ja, I do.”

“Ohmigosh! I’ll take you out for celebratory donuts after your trial is done!” Jester bounced up and down on her feet. “I know ALL the best donut places in Zadash. Well, and Nicodranas, but you won’t be in Nicodranas long, so you’ll just have to settle for Zadash donuts for now.”

Caleb laughed. “I look forward to it.”

“But we have to go to the airport first so we can get on our plane together,” Jester said. “Then I’ll go home and you’ll go get justice and then we can go to our Zadash homes and get donuts!”

Caleb shook his head. “Nein, we can’t go to the airport yet.”

Jester stared at him nervously. “Why not?”

“Cause, we haven’t had pancakes yet and you said it’s not Christmas without pancakes.” He smiled at her with a hint of mischief.

Jester gasped. “You’re right! We have to go get them right now!” She grabbed his hand.

“In my pajamas?”

“I mean I’m technically in my pajamas too,” Jester said. “It’s more fun this way.”

Caleb stared for a moment and nodded. “Ja, I could do with a little fun. It is Christmas after all.”


End file.
